Retired Naval captain, experienced acute care surgeon joins department faculty

Smith, StephenR. Stephen Smith, M.D., RDMS, FACS has joined the UF department of surgery as a professor of acute care surgery.

Dr. Smith earned his medical degree at the University of Arkansas and completed his residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Wichita. He was a trauma/surgical critical care fellow at the Shock Trauma Associates of California and St. Mary’s Medical Center in Long Beach, California. He has focused his career on the treatment of injured and critically ill surgical patients

Dr. Smith served in the U.S. Navy Reserve starting in 1981 — achieving the rank of captain in the Medical Corps— until he retired from the service in 2006. He has served on the faculty at the University of California, Davis; the Uniform Services University of the Health Sciences; the University of Kansas, Wichita; the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine; the University of Virginia; Temple University; and the University of South Carolina.

He is a member of the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma and is a senior member of the ACSCOT Verification and Review Committee. He served as one of the three primary editors of the ACS Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient 2014. Dr. Smith is a member of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the Western Trauma Association — where he serves as a member of the board of directors —  as well as a number of other surgical societies and associations.  Dr. Smith has received numerous commendations from the U.S. Navy and other organizations. Most recently, he was awarded the Surgery Faculty Best Teacher Award at the University of South Carolina, in 2014.

Dr. Smith has published over 100 papers and 22 book chapters.

His research interests include ultrasound in trauma and critical care, glycemic regulation in trauma, blunt chest injury, trauma systems and patient safety and performance improvement.

His clinical interests include emergency general surgery, trauma and surgical critical care.